Anarchy in the "NK" - A Travel Guide to North Korea

[Zoolander]

Just saw this linked on CNN, ended up watching all 14 episodes, figured I would share with you guys. Really interesting look at North Korea, not exactly shit that gets out every day. The videos are pretty well done and the music they use is great. These guys had some freaking balls doing this. Some other documentaries they have on the site are pretty interesting too. I'm watching the vid on the destruction of Palestinian homes by Israel atm.

The only complaint I had was that the videos are too short and it isn't organized on their web site very well, although I think they are getting massive traffic due to CNN atm so maybe they are changing it up, idk. (Yea, looks like they can't handle all the bandwidth being used atm, sure it will die down after today though.)

Here are working links (as of right now anyways). I would suggest at least checking out the first few videos and definitely check out the 13th and 14th videos. The Anarchy in the UK he does in the last video is awesome lol. The entire series is funny on one level and really terrifying on another, which makes for a very entertaining experience.

http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-1-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-2-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-3-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-4-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-5-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-6-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-7-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-8-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...-korea-9-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...korea-10-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...korea-11-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...korea-12-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...korea-13-of-14
http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guid...korea-14-of-14

http://www.vbs.tv/
Edit - CNN link too: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapc...ex.html?hpt=C1

Watching these makes me want to go to NK now...I'd totally do it, although I don't have the balls to try and film it. I'm sure I'm not the only person intrigued by this now though.

[Mizango]

Beckwin is currently lurking in the shadows in an attempt to liberate the souls of that country.

Thanks for sharing though seriously.

[Correction]

Site won't load.

[Atreides]

it's one of the better documentaries on North Korea that's out there, personally I've seen pretty much every one ever made. Also on youtube you can find "wecome to north korea" which is probably the best documentary available, it won an Oscar back in 2001.

[zoobernut]

I saw those a long long time ago. They are really entertaining to watch. Not sure quite how realistic they are though, if you read the comments from the creators below I remember them stating they edited it to look worse than it actually was.

[Atreides]

I wouldn't worry too much about editing/accuracy since most everything that you see in North Korea is carefully crafted by the state to portray a certain image to the foreign media. Everything is for show. That's part of the allure of NK documentaries, at least for me, is trying to read between the lines and figure out exactly what's going on there.

Also the Vice documentary on Liberia is about 10x better than the North Korea one, in case anyone gets a chance to look it up.

[zoobernut]

I wouldn't worry too much about editing/accuracy since most everything that you see in North Korea is carefully crafted by the state to portray a certain image to the foreign media. Everything is for show. That's part of the allure of NK documentaries, at least for me, is trying to read between the lines and figure out exactly what's going on there.

Also the Vice documentary on Liberia is about 10x better than the North Korea one, in case anyone gets a chance to look it up.

Well specifically to these documentaries they talk about how empty the place is and if you read their comments they talk about how it isn't true, there is actually quite a bit of tourism in NK and there are people everywhere. They did careful editing to make it seem much more desolate than it actually was.

I think the part that has the most truth to it is the propaganda and the need to carefully groom all outside perception of what it is like.

[Not Kuno]

Woah this is amazing.

[Zoolander]

Yea I figured they were pushing to make it seem like everything was completely empty, but still it is pretty interesting. Thanks for the Liberia recommendation, I am really being blown away by it. This is the kind of shit I would love to do with my degree in International Relations.

[Atreides]

here's another good NK doc, about this spanish guy who loves North Korea and goes over there a lot. About halfway through their visit the organization pretty much melts down and is caught on camera, and it's hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C76HqPaA6kw

and the Welcome to North Korea one I mentioned earlier, my favorite out of all of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU

Interestingly enough, when Lisa Ling (whos sister was recently held prisoner in NK, it was in the news a few months back) worked for National Geographic Explorer she went along with a Nepalese eye surgeon under the guise of documenting his cataract surgeries but was actually filming a documentary of her own--- part of me wonders if this had any impact on her sister's treatment just a few years later:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQXfMMHV8FM

[Correction]

The talk of an 'empty' DPRK reminds me strongly of this travelogue from CNN.com, where they detail what is apparently the only tourist destination in Korea where you don't need to bribe someone to gain access.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/DESTI...iref=allsearch

Some North Koreans work at the resort as waiters, vendors, rescue teams and maintenance. Most wear a pin of their president on their lapel.

Most refused to be photographed, cryptically saying "no pictures while I am working." All but a few will refuse to talk to you. The ones that did talk to us offer some glimpse into their thinking.

One rescue worker told us that the only reason President Bush has not invaded North Korea is because Bush is afraid of Kim Jung Il. A vendor told us that she likes Americans, but hates the American government.

The resort is surrounded by a fence, through which you can see villagers planting in the fields and walking down the roads. They are forbidden to come to the resort or talk to the tourists. Not that they appear to be trying.

Ashley Moore, from Oklahoma, remembers North Koreans ducking behind trees and plants.

"We weren't allowed to speak to any of them," Moore said.

Either it's empty because the local population has been relocated, shooed away, forbidden from any contact with the outsiders, or because propaganda has taught them that any foreigner is a potential spy, and that contact with them can be viewed as seditious.

[Osede]

I wouldn't worry too much about editing/accuracy since most everything that you see in North Korea is carefully crafted by the state to portray a certain image to the foreign media. Everything is for show. That's part of the allure of NK documentaries, at least for me, is trying to read between the lines and figure out exactly what's going on there.

Also the Vice documentary on Liberia is about 10x better than the North Korea one, in case anyone gets a chance to look it up.

I have read a chinese tourist who went to NK before, with all the picture he took secretly. Actually, both of the tourism path in the video and the one i read, are exactly same at all lol...

The only different is that the guy go to NK by train from china, so he also have some chance to took some snapshot secretly along the railroad. And he does able to show how far behind of the life quality in NK besides Pyongpyang >.>

[Correction]

I really want to see those pictures. I have an enduring addiction for smuggled footage from communist countries.

[Atreides]

lolkotaku actually had a bunch of pictures from a North Korean arcade a while back, it was kinda sad and pathetic but still really interesting.

edit: oh nvm it was another site, but here are the pics:
http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/2008/0...an-arcade.html

[Osede]

I really want to see those pictures. I have an enduring addiction for smuggled footage from communist countries.

These are some of them. However, they aren't the one those I saw before.

http://www.kkfriend.com/d5/viewthread.php?tid=18593
http://www.kkfriend.com/d5/viewthread.php?tid=18594

[Takedown3]

just don't how bout

[Shuvo]

Those vids are pretty old, and not that good anyway. The guy over-dramatized it and the only thing that kept it interesting was the shots of the military parade.

For a better account of N. Korea read the 2001 article by Christopher Hitchens "Visit to a small planet". I've uploaded it to mega upload:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CXKZMJJM

He also talks about the article a bit more here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_m4IRL4_PU

And this is a recent article he wrote too about N.korea
http://www.slate.com/id/2243112/pagenum/all/

[foopy]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/foopy/500.jpg

[guartz]

that documentary is awesome. Very enlightening.

[Mojo]

Seems like the host had made his mind up about North Korean before he embarked on this, but still interesting. Could have used more interviews although given the situation that could have been tough.